Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. B. CARPENTER. GAR GOUPLING.

Patented Apr. 12', 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

JOSEPH B. CARPENTER, OF MARIETTA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 472,857, dated April12, 1892.

Application filed July 25,1891- Serial No. 400,695. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. CARPENTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marietta, in the county of Greenville and State SouthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invena signal secured to the end ofa car and adapted to be operated by the coupling or uncoupling of thecars; and with these objects in view my invention consists of the partsand combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully describedand claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan.Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is alongitudinal central section. Fig. 5 is a detail view.

Similarletters refer to similar partsthroughout the several views.

A represents a car of usual construction; B and B, the two jaws, whichhave flared ends. These jaws are slotted at b b, in which slot worksbolts.

C C are sides of a casing or housing around the jaws B and B. Thedraw-head, composed of the jaws B and B ,acts also as a draw-bar.

Secured to the housing-O are springs D D,

which bear against the jaws B and B on each side. These springs D D keepthejaws tightly together and allow them, as a body,

to move from side to side in working around a curve. If the jaw B shouldbe forced to one side by a curve in the road, the jaw B would be forcedup against the jaw B by the force of the spring D. This state of factswould exist in case the jaw B was forced to one side.

E is a buffer-spring located back of and bearing against the jaws B andB. The jaws B and B each have a groove 1) b.

F is a rod having a crank F. Secured to the rod F is an oblong-shapedprojection said projection being rounded on its ends and working in thegrooves b b in the jaws B and B. F is a disk secured to the rod Funderneath the car, and is provided with a drum F to which is attachedone end of a chain or rope Y. body is a lever F having a cam-head F towhich is secured the other end of the chain Y. G are springs secured inthe recesses G in the jaws B and B. These springs serve to lift thecoupling pin or link out of the recess G when it is desired to uncouplethe cars.

H is the coupling-link having the heads h. This pin is swelled in thecenter, and has slots it cut entirely through it from the sides.

I is an alarm secured to the car in a suitable place, and I is a strikersecured to the jaw B.

The operation is as follows: One end of the pin I-I being secured toacar,thefree end is pushed against the jaws of the next car, which openunder the pressure, and the pin forces the jaws apart and the head ofsaid pin falls into the recesses G. To uncouple the cars, I pull thelever F out avery slight distance and this, through the chain Y,revolves the disk F which in turn revolves the rod F and the oblongprojection f in the groove 1), which gradually opens the jaws, and thesprings G raise the pin H to a position where it can be pulled out ofengagement. (See Fig. 5.) In case it is desirable or necessary touncouple the cars from the top, thebrakem an operates the handle F,which works independent of the lever F.

I make one head of the link H smaller than the other, so that in caseany of the cars in a train should leave the track it will pull the linkat such an angle that the derailed car will uncouple itself by pullingthe small hea of the link out of the draw-head.

It is to be understood that the cars will not uncouple on a curve, nomatterhow short it is, but will only uncouple when the car leaves thetrack. It is obvious that the link H can be bent, in order to adapt itto couple cars of different heights, and that the slots h form Pivotednear the edge of the carhandles, whereby the same can be readily and.the springs-D and E, of a rodhaving the handled. projectionf, workingin said grooves 19, the

What I claim, and desire to secure by. Letdrum F and disk F the lever Fand chain I 5 ters Patent, is connecting said drum and lever,substantially 5 1. The combination, with the draw-heads as described.

having recesses G, of the springs G, located In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in therein, for the purposes set forth. presence oftwo witnesses.

2. The combination, with a car-coupler of an alarm adapted to be soundedby coupling JOSEPH CARPENTER 10 or uncoupling, for the purposesdescribed. Witnesses:

3. In a car-coupler, the combination, with M. L. WVEST,

the pivoted draw-heads having grooves b b EDWIN S. CLARKSON.

